The Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarships program was enacted in 2011 and launched in 2013. The program gives individuals and businesses a 50 percent tax credit for contributions made to nonprofit organizations that provide school scholarships to students who meet the income and/or zoning requirements. Learn more about the program, including funding, eligibility and regulations, on this page.
2,500 participating students (2017–18)
82 percent of families with children income-eligible statewide
6 scholarship organizations awarding scholarships (2018–19)
99 participating schools (2017–18)
Average scholarship value: $1,951 (2017–18)
Value as a percentage of public school per-student spending: 24 percent
The Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program was enacted in 2011 and launched in 2013. The program gives individuals and businesses a 50 percent tax credit for contributions made to non-profit organizations that provide school scholarships to students who meet the income and/or zoning requirements. Learn more about the program, including funding, eligibility, and regulations, on this page.
For students without an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), scholarships may be worth up to $5,000, or 80 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in the assigned public school district, whichever is greater. For students with special needs who attended a public school with an IEP, the scholarship is worth up to $25,000.
Students are eligible if they either live in households with incomes up to 300 percent of the free and reduced-price lunch program ($142,913 for a family of four in 2019–20) or attend or live in the attendance zone of a public school designated by the state as “in need of improvement.” Once a student has received a scholarship, that student and his or her siblings remain eligible until high school graduation or age 21.
Oklahoma’s tax-credit scholarship program could be one of the most expansive in the nation because of the high income limit for eligibility; however, the $5 million cap on credits (of which $1.5 million is reserved for public school improvement grants) severely restricts the number and amount of scholarships that can be awarded. Additionally, the pro-rata distribution of tax credits to donors makes administration difficult for SGOs, as they cannot notify donors of the credit they will receive until the state tax commission receives all credits claimed for the year. Donors are also allowed only a 50 percent tax credit for donations (unless they commit to two years of giving, which raises their credit to 75 percent). The program has a reasonable level of school regulations. Participating schools must provide progress reports to parents, be accredited, follow health and safety codes and obey nondiscrimination laws. The program has a tremendous opportunity to be one of the nation’s strongest if the legislature expands eligibility and raises or removes the overall funding cap and removes the pro-rata method for distributing tax credits.
SGO Requirements:
Okla. Rev. Stat. § 68-2357.206
No legal challenges have been filed against the program.